


happy birthday, cowgirl

by palecryptid



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, a small hint of nsfw but no explicit content, all of the other characters mentioned above just make tiny cameos, birthday party for nisha, borderlands - Freeform, i may have written jack and nisha softer than canon but they're in love okay, some mention of death/guns- but nothing more than regular borderlands, some silly drunk dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 06:33:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30068130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palecryptid/pseuds/palecryptid
Summary: Jack is shocked to learn that Nisha has never had a birthday party before, and decides to do something about it.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Nisha (Borderlands)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	happy birthday, cowgirl

**Author's Note:**

> hey there :D this is my first time writing fanfiction in like, 6 years, but i’ve been hyperfixating on borderlands for a few months now and i wanted to write some jack/nisha fluff- so i hope you enjoy! 
> 
> (p.s the song that's referenced towards the end is called "In Your Own Time " by Iron & Wine and Calexico! i’d recommend listening to it as you read if you want to- link below!)  
> ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUL3FB_slHc )

It was one of those rare mornings in which Jack and Nisha were both awake at dawn. Usually, whenever they spent the night together, the odd change to Helios time led to Nisha sleeping in- that, or they both would be too bruised and exhausted from the previous night’s events to wake up before mid-morning. But that particular dawn the pair were curled up, having just barely awoken to lay in a comfortable silence as they stared through the giant wall-to-wall windows overlooking Pandora. 

The view was nice, although Nisha much preferred to be down there herself, boots covered in blood and dirt. She always felt like a stranger on the neat, alien space station- but the one place above Pandora she never felt that way was in Jack’s penthouse. More specifically, in his bed. And sometimes raiding his bar. 

“Hey,” came the low, sleepy voice pressed to the side of her temple, “I just remembered that next week is your birthday.” 

“Is it now?” she answered indifferently. “You know I just told you a random date when you asked, right? I don’t keep track of that stuff.” It was mostly true; she didn’t remember the exact date anymore, but Jack and the rest of the vault-hunting group kept pestering her, so eventually she shot back her closest guess. 

“Still, it’s an excuse to have a nice celebration, huh? I do throw the best parties, babe.” She could feel his signature douchebag-grin against her hair. “Seriously, tell me the greatest birthday party you’ve ever had, and I’ll make it look absolutely goddamn pitiful in comparison.” 

“Dunno, I’ve never had one.”

There was a shocked pause. Jack sat up slightly and turned to look Nisha in the eyes, keeping one hand around her waist. “Hold on. What?” She just rolled her eyes.

“Just what I said. Birthday parties aren’t exactly the most important thing on Pandora- not that I’d have wanted one from my family anyways.” The thought alone disgusted her.

“You’re not serious…never?”

“Damn, Jack, you’re acting like it’s such a huge thing.” 

He just huffed dramatically, pulling her back against his chest, and for once she let him; Nisha knew that her boyfriend valued materialistic things way more than she ever could, but it was still amusing to see him worked up over something so meaningless. Just because she never had a birthday party didn’t mean that she never had a birthday, or never got older. Life still went on. In all honesty, she had trouble imagining what a Pandoran birthday party would even look like, other than the usual alcohol and dead bodies that made up every regular day. Maybe some colorful party hats, or a human pinata. That _would_ be pretty funny.

“Well obviously I have to change that, Nish. I-I mean, come on, I’ll get the whole damn works- lights, gifts… maybe I’ll commission a giant portrait of you, and hang that shit right in the Hub of Heroism. How amazing would that be?” His hand on her hip tightened. “Force every intern to stand and gawk at you the whole day.”

“Only if I get to be completely naked and blowing off some bandit’s head,” she shot back. Jack seemed to honestly consider the idea for a few moments, absentmindedly tracing circles along her thigh with the edge of his ring. Finally, he hummed lowly. 

“Hm, maybe.” After a minute he turned over and pulled them both back down under the covers. Facing her on his side once more with a small smirk, he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before closing his eyes. “I’ll dream on it.” She lightly scoffed, but closed her eyes too, content to curl up and stay in bed a little while longer.

“I’m sure you will, cowboy.” 

\---------------------------

A week later, Nisha woke up in a cold sweat. It took a moment to reorient herself, sitting up in her own bed in Lynchwood. It had been another night of bad dreams, only a few scraps of it being remembered while the rest quickly slipped away. Something about her mother, as usual; after a while all those nightmares became the same, although there was always an unshakable sting upon waking. 

“Fuckin’ hell…” she grumbled out as she pulled one hand across her face. “Never leave me alone, do you?” 

There was no answer. Not that she was expecting one. The dream hadn’t been as bad as some others before- however, Nisha always handled them on her own. It was her business and hers alone. Jack tried once to help after a particularly vivid one, but the sprained finger he received as a result deterred any further interference. She didn’t say ‘sorry’ (she never did), but she made it up to him in her own way. Surprisingly, it was the closest she ever came to feeling regret for hurting someone, and she took a two-week excursion alone on Pandora afterwards just to figure out what that meant. 

Just as she stretched out of bed to get ready for the morning rounds, she heard a light creak outside. Immediately she paused, listening. She heard it again- it was indeed a creak, a familiar noise of someone- or something- coming up the stairs towards her door. 

Nisha learned how to pick up on small sounds like that from a young age- nobody ever asked her about it, but it wasn’t necessarily hard to figure out why. Sounded young, she deduced. Smaller frame, hesitant steps. Either a lame skag, or some chicken-footed person creeping up to the home of the Sheriff of Lynchwood, a home that was very much intentionally out of the way. 

Clicking her tongue quietly, she reached over and grabbed her pistol, but didn’t bother to put anything else on besides the tank-top and underwear she slept in. Making her way silently yet almost casually to the door, she wrapped her hand around the doorknob. One more millisecond of listening and she flung it open- the end of her pistol not more than an inch into the fearful face of a young, dark-skinned man, who yelped loudly in response. 

“Please don’t shoot!” he choked out, every muscle going tense as his eyes shut. She almost did (after all, the words “don’t shoot” usually just fueled her urge to do the opposite), but she glanced down and saw the yellow pin in the shape of an H on his shirt; plus, she was sort of savoring the visceral reaction that her gun received. A nice morning treat. 

Clearly he was Hyperion- pristine suit, slicked hair, and the exact kind of corporate-lackey presence that stuck out like a sore thumb on Pandora. In his hands he held a sizable box, black and unmarked. 

“Howdy,” she grinned. It was a very foxlike grin; the kind that made the man shrink a little further back into his jacket. “What’s a scared little pencil-pusher like you doin’ on my doorstep before sunrise?” She took a barefoot step out onto the porch towards him, her gun still pointed and unwavering.

“U-um… H-Handsome Jack sent me to d-deliver this t-to you… uh, m-ma’am…” He shook like a Pandoran with the brain shivers, further emphasized by the way Nisha began to slowly drag the pistol down the side of his temple. 

“Aw, he sent this for little ol’ me?” It was unclear whether she was referring to the box or the man holding it. Of course, Jack could've just sent the box to her through the quick travel station he had installed, or sent one of those god-ugly loader bots to do it; but she knew that he loved to send her Hyperion employees and watch what she chose to do with them. Nisha also loved it.

The man only nodded and swallowed hard. After a tense moment of no words, her finger toying with the trigger, she pulled her arm back and turned slightly.

“Go on then. Put it on the table.” Her head cocked slightly, and he immediately stuttered out a “yes, ma’am” before taking a single cautious step forward. Upon realizing she wasn’t going to shoot, he hurried inside. 

The man rushed to the small table near what could be considered a kitchen-area, with Nisha shadowing him in a way that made it easy to see the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. It was no doubt that every Hyperion employee knew about her- heard stories, perhaps even caught a glimpse of her on one of her semi-rare Helios visits. Once, she had heard one of the mythical rumors they fearfully whispered about her while up there- Jack probably should’ve thanked the loud-mouthed employee for the especially good mood Nisha was in that night. 

The box was set rather hastily on the table, the employee’s hands shaking so much that one of the many empty beer bottles littered nearby fell to the ground with a shatter. He went practically white, hands shooting off the box and up to his chest, and he whipped around to see the Sheriff standing almost on top of him. 

She clicked her tongue a few times disapprovingly. “Oh no… You oughtta be more careful, shouldn’t you? ‘Cause if you’re not-” she lifted her gun in a flash and fired a single bullet over his head; it cracked through the window and made a noise loud enough to echo through the entire town at dawn.

“You’ll wake up all the bandits. Like that.” She smiled wickedly, and it only grew at the bead of sweat that appeared on the smaller man’s brow. “Uh oh… I’d get back to the station _awfully fast_ if I were you.” 

The man glanced out the door and back with a horrified expression, hoping to find that the lawbringer was only joking- but after a second he seemed to realize she was indeed serious, and took off running. 

Nisha smiled in amusement as she shut the door. Normally she would’ve enjoyed taking care of it herself, or drawing the torment out a little longer, but she was fairly curious as to the contents of the box now on her table. For as lavish as Jack tended to be, he never really gave her gifts without her express permission. He knew better.

The box was well secured, marked with a gold Hyperion logo, and there was a small piece of locked metal with an opening for a key. _Damn, that piss-for-brains employee must still have it_. But a lock never stopped Nisha Kadam, and so it was open in mere seconds. 

The first thing she found inside was a piece of paper. Picking it up, she read out the words with the light of the sunrise peeking through the window. 

_8pm, tonight on Helios. You and me. Got something planned and you’re not allowed to say no, otherwise I’m torching that shitty town I totally gave to you. Also, you’re wearing this. Please._

_(See? I said please, because I’m such a loving boyfriend, and am being so damn nice to you today.)_

_Happy birthday, cowgirl._

_-J_

The initial was signed with a loose flourish. Nisha perked one eyebrow up as her eyes rolled. Right, her “birthday.” She almost forgot she mentioned it to him a week ago, and part of her hoped he did too. Apparently not. Jack was a stubborn son-of-a-bitch even when he was trying not to be- but Nisha didn’t mind all that much; if he wasn’t, she probably would’ve lost interest already.

Glancing back down into the box, she saw a sleek, wide-brimmed black hat, in a similar design to the one that sat on her end table. Much cleaner though. She picked it up and turned it over, seeing a band of deep purple fabric across it, and two bullets tucked right in the center. Both pure gold; one carved with a small intricate “J,” and the other with a matching “N.” _Gaudy_ , she thought, but she did appreciate a nice bullet. 

Tucked neatly under the hat, she found a dress. Instinctually she made a disgusted noise, contemplating whether to pour the rest of last night’s beer into the box and kick it down a nearby cliff. But she pulled it out to get a better look begrudgingly. Upon further glance, it wasn’t as bad as she feared; it was a long-sleeve black dress, in a comfortable yet expensive-looking fabric. The neck of the dress was cut into a very low V- she guessed it would probably go down to mid-abdomen. It went down to the ankles, and the bottom slit opened to one side to reveal the inside fabric was a similar deep purple color as the hat; but what really caught Nisha’s attention was the sleeves- they were beautifully fringed, just like in those old westerns she enjoyed watching from time to time. Huh. Maybe Jack _did_ occasionally listen to things she said, when he wasn’t too busy air-locking investors or getting off on his own reflection in a mirror.

They were accompanied by a pair of thigh high leather boots, which caused a bit of hesitance, but eventually Nisha shrugged. She’d get them a little dirty before she went up there, and that would probably make her feel better about it. Suddenly she paused; had she already decided she was going up there? Usually, a decision like that would take more thought- her appearance rate to anything Jack called “mandatory” was 50% at best.

 _Since when did you become a rich man’s whore?_ rang a very familiar, malice-filled voice in the back of her head. She pushed it away, but like everything else her mother ever did or said to her, it lingered. She’d be the first to admit it wasn’t anything she ever thought of growing up- being with someone rich and corporate… even staying with anyone at all. She had seen enough of her own parents’ flaws, and their attempt at whatever their ‘relationship’ was. It sickened her. A coward and an abuser. A bitch. Men or women, didn’t matter- anything more than a single drunken night was too much. Yet Jack was different somehow. He was a surprise, and Nisha was always interested in surprises.

But it wasn’t anything committal, she thought in some sort of defense. There was a reason she was living in Lynchwood and not on Helios. It wasn’t like anyone could ever tell her what to do; she could burn the box if she felt like it- hell, she could burn the whole town to ashes, march up to Helios, and put a bullet through the head of every single person on board, and no one would be able to stop her. How dare that nagging voice imply she wasn’t in control?

_Just because you lost control of everything doesn’t mean I have. I’m nothing like you._

Nisha would never admit it out loud, or even in her thoughts for that matter, but brushing somewhere in her subconscious was a feeling she actually sort of liked; a feeling that crept up whenever Jack would put his hand on her lower back as if it fit there perfectly; when he knew what her favorite shade of purple was without her ever saying it, or when he knew just the right amount of attention to spend on her.

She honestly liked that Jack had other priorities; she had her own as well, and it gave a certain level of independence she simply couldn’t live without. He seemed to feel a similar way- there was only a “small” fight when she made it clear she wouldn’t stay on Helios, and a month later he had an entire town at the ready for her. Still a little on the controlling side, but that’s just who they both were; besides, it gave her an endless supply of ways to rebel against that control and watch Jack turn red.

At the end of the day, the distance made it all the more fun when they _did_ get a moment together, especially if it was a hard-fought one. The word “date” would make her vomit- putting a round of bullet holes through his newest design plans and dragging him off by his hair while he cursed her out was more her style. And if nothing else, Jack actually remembered her birthday. It was more than anyone else in her life ever did.

So, Nisha was certain that she was more of a woman than her mother ever could be, and she was certain that she would at least try to make it through the night. That was as much commitment as she could ever offer.

Looking down, she realized that she had taken one of the bullets out from the hat and was angrily twirling it around in her fingers. She put it back with a sigh and went to close the box, but there was another piece of paper inside. _How much shit did Jack shove into this?_

She picked it up. All it said was: 

_P.S: This part’s optional, but I think you already know that ;)_

Underneath the note (and scrawled winky-face) was an extremely fancy pair of lingerie- that same shade of purple, with an intricate lace design, gold clasps, and a star embroidered onto the upper left of the bra. That actually managed to earn a small laugh from Nisha. _What an ass._

\---------------------------

The door slammed open as Nisha entered her home once more; she kicked off her shoes and glanced at the small, half-functioning clock on the wall. It was a little past 6- she had finished her errands and miscellaneous tasks for the day, and finally had time to come back and get ready for her trip to Helios. All in all, it wasn’t a terrible day- she had drove around a bit, done the usual rounds, sent out another shipment of eridium by train, and even managed to squeeze in a lynching session in the afternoon. She wasn’t tired by any means- it took a lot to make Nisha exhausted, just ask Jack- but she was sort of looking forward to a night off.

She started to run a lukewarm bath, and after a few minutes hopped in. She pulled her ECHO from the pile of clothes and rested her arm on the side of the tub. She hadn’t gotten the time to check it all day.

To her surprise, there were a couple missed messages. The most she usually got in a day was either Deputy Winger giving her updates on the bounty board outside, or Jack calling to whine about how bored he was feeling. She pressed a button and set it down on the ledge above the tub, disappearing halfway under the water as the messages began to play.

“Hey, you!” a familiar, gruff voice rang out loudly. Wilhelm. He sounded more robotic with every passing day, but retained the same violent and funny demeanor she always enjoyed. She wasn’t sure if they were considered friends, but he was the only one she really stayed in contact with besides Jack.

“Heard it was your birthday or something? Good for you- unless you’re dead already, hah. Anyways, let me know if you ever consider getting some cybernetics, yeah? You’re getting up there in the years, and that old flesh sack ain't gonna last forever. I can get you the best of the best.” _Click._

Classic Wilhelm- blunt, to the point, and always thinking of cybernetic enhancements. But she did quirk her eyebrow slightly; he knew it was her birthday? He definitely didn’t care about those things enough to recall that detail, so she figured Jack probably told him. A moment passed- she came back up out of the water.

“H-Hey Nisha,” came a softer voice through the ECHO. She turned her head in surprise before picking the device up and moving it towards her ear. Too timid to be Jack. _Tim?_ “Uh, it’s your birthday! ‘Happy birthday, kiddo…’ ah, n- anyways! Casino’s getting near completed if you ever, you know, want to stop by... w-with Jack. Or not. Um, okay, gotta go!” Another _click._

That one was definitely Jack’s doing. For as much as she enjoyed messing with Tim, she knew she scared the hell out of him. He would probably drop dead if she came to the Casino- their time on Elpis was something she assumed he wanted to pretend never happened, and they didn’t speak much afterwards.

Another moment passed and there was the sound of a throat clearing; Nisha put the ECHO back down and went back to washing her hair as the message played.

“Hello, Nisha darling-” It was the unmistakable voice of Lady Aurelia Hammerlock. That was a real surprise for the lawbringer- she hadn’t heard from Aurelia in a while, after she told Jack to fuck off straight to his face and then left for good. There was no way she would’ve been in contact with him without having a fleet of Hyperion ships tracking her location so Jack could strangle her for the slights she gave him. Interesting.

“I assume you’re either busy or dead, but I called to wish you a happy birthday, yes? If this ECHO still works. I’ve been busy myself for some time, however I had time now and remembered you telling us about your birthday all that time ago. For your own sake, I hope you’re back on your own by now instead of with that… man. Seriously, darling, money may be nice, but _his_ certainly isn’t worth it. I would say have a nice night and some wine, but for some reason I know you don’t like that sort of thing. Cheers.” 

Nisha would have felt slightly annoyed that yet another person today was questioning her relationship decisions, but the message only made her laugh a little. What people thought of Jack was none of her concern- he was a big boy, he could handle himself. If anything, it made her feel a little rebellious; seeing others take offense to her actions was a satisfying thing. 

A notification for the last missed message available beeped, yet there was a moment of dull silence on the line. Confused, Nisha picked the ECHO up once more to try and read the ID. The second her eyes found it, a voice came through. “Hi Nisha b-”

Her father.

She immediately threw the ECHO into the bathtub- a brief electric shock crawled up her fingers, that part not entirely unwelcome, but she kept holding it under the water. After a second there was no more sound. 

“Fuck off,” she mumbled and climbed out, soaking wet. It was only the second time her father had managed to get a hold of her ECHO and attempt to contact her. The first time it had rattled her for days, and it took an entire town of bandits for her to get out all of her anger. She had gotten a new device after that, and assumed it was the last of it. But she didn’t feel the same white-hot rage this time, only a brief glow of frustration. She wouldn’t even listen to the message, because it didn’t matter to her at all. 

Maybe he was calling to tell her that her mother had finally died. It would’ve been an unnecessary message, though, because Nisha already considered her dead. She had no interest in talking to them ever again. Or maybe he was calling to tell her happy birthday too.

“Yeah right,” she spoke out loud to her reflection in the small mirror as she began to get dressed. She would bet every cent in the Lynchwood bank that he didn’t remember what his own name was anymore, with the way he drank. Her eyes darted down to her exposed neck, a familiar scar still present.

The bad thoughts managed to subside after a couple minutes, once she finished getting ready. As much as she loved her normal bloody clothes, the fancy black outfit _did_ fit her perfectly. She strapped her pistol on to her thigh and took the badge from her regular coat. She was a little surprised that Jack hadn’t left her a message- there was always a good chance he’d call several times to make sure she was coming. And then she wouldn’t. Either he was actually being patient for once, or he was currently blowing up the ECHO that lay dead at the bottom of her bathtub. 

She locked her door after leaving a note for Winger to handle night-time duties, and walked slowly towards Lynchwood Station. Normally she would’ve used the private quick travel station in her own backyard (Jack had put it there himself- he complained that he never wanted to walk through Lynchwood just to see her), but the night air was warm and she felt like breaking in her new clothes. 

\---------------------------

Helios was winding down for the night when Nisha arrived. It was a Friday night, so most of the employees that she would see during the day were nowhere to be found- at least to the floor she arrived on. It was colder on board than Pandora ever got, but at least it was better than the humidity. 

A single employee sat at the entrance, flanked by a Hyperion bot that was shifting through a handful of papers. She said nothing as she walked up, leaning down to touch her Sheriff badge to the small machine. The badge, given to her by Jack when he made her Sheriff of Lynchwood, doubled as an ID card that gave her complete access to Helios. She was fairly certain that even someone like Wilhelm didn’t have the same level of access. 

It was occasionally fun when she came up without warning and poked around in places Jack forgot she could even get into. Once, she caught him in his private workshop and learned that he wore glasses when programming- a fact she kept to herself. His flustered expression was still etched happily in her mind. 

“Nisha Kadam- access granted,” came the automated Hyperion voice, and the machine dinged. The seated employee glanced up briefly but quickly looked back down to avoid meeting her gaze. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know where Jack is, would you partner?” She put a hand on the desk, the other on her hip as she leaned forward. “Got an appointment, and I don’t feel like waitin’.” 

“Y-yes ma’am, he actually asked for an escort for you.” The words came out very timidly, and he pointed one shaking finger towards a door on the far end of the room. 

Standing there were three young employees, staring at the ground and wringing their hands nervously- clearly they were looking to leave, but were unfortunate enough to be last out and therefore stopped by the gate guard to be her “escort.” Upon hearing the man speak, they looked up. There was a very short one, wearing glasses, flanked by a taller one and a red-haired one on the other side. The tall one went to put a hand up- robotic, huh- but seemed to think better of it and put it back down. 

_An escort?_ Nisha scoffed- he was really playing up the formality tonight. But there were three more employees for her to scare, so she didn’t mind too much. She knew that she looked intimidating, especially with the black dress and boots that made her a few inches taller; she took her time walking towards the three boys , hips swinging, and she watched all of their eyes travel down to the pistol that appeared through the dress with every other step. 

She aimed straight for the tiny one in the middle, standing almost a foot shorter than her, and clearly terrified out of his mind. He somehow shrunk even more as she stopped an inch from him and craned her head down. 

“So… you my escort?” 

He only nodded, biting his lip like he was about to cry. She liked this one. She took a step to the side, before shooting out her hand to clamp it around the back of his neck. Immediately the taller employee took a step towards them, but a glance in his direction stopped him in his tracks. He was clearly protective of the other one, for some reason. 

“We… uh, we all are,” he squeaked out, and the other two men nodded frantically. 

“Hmm. Well, after you.” Nisha’s voice was practically a purr, still only talking to the man in front of her, and she began to follow them down the hallway, never removing her hand from his neck. 

After a minute or two, she could understand why she was given an escort- wherever they were going was quite out of the way, down some winding corridors and through the occasional door. Plus she was always terrible with direction, but she would never let anyone else tell her that. Every so often she dug her nail a little further into the skin underneath her hand just to watch the man flinch, but none of them actually looked at her; the red-haired one was looking ahead to guide them, while the tall one kept his eyes on the shorter one, or on her hand. Oh well. 

Just as she was starting to get bored, they all stopped at a large hangar door. 

“Here we are…” said the redhead cautiously. He backed up a step, and the other two just looked at each other. Nisha thought about doing something, making some kind of scene for fun, but she felt like she wouldn’t get much more out of them. She would rather just go in and see Jack; so she removed her hand and took a step forward. Immediately the three employees huddled together and backed quickly out of the hallway. 

She pulled her badge once more and the door beeped, unlocking for her and sliding open. Heading inside slowly, she found herself on a platform with stairs overlooking what was once a small cargo or hangar bay. But most everything had been cleared out, and in its place was an empty floor with a small table- full white tablecloth, candle, and two chairs. On the wall was a small bar, with a single Hyperion bot behind the counter. There was a small door next to the bar, and on the other side of the room there was a small closed off space- it looked like an airlock chamber with a curtain. Other than that it was fairly simple, but it looked pristinely clean, and with a warm glow lighting the room. There were some gold and purple flowers accented everywhere and the stair railing leading down was tied with silk. 

Pacing the floor next to the table was none other than Jack himself. Handsome Jack to everyone else, but not Nisha- to her, he _was_ handsome, but still just Jack. She liked what was underneath the persona, not necessarily what was above it.

He had his back to her, but the second she entered he whipped around. One hand was folded across his chest, and the other rested on his chin with a single finger brushing across his lips. His finger fell as he looked up and his eyes went wide, mouth breaking into a smile. It was only a brief second, but it felt like a full year that they just stared at each other from across the room. That familiar feeling returned to her chest as she watched him walk quickly to the stairs and up towards her. She couldn’t help but notice him trying to hide the excitement in his movements. 

“Nish… you came.” He stopped a few stairs under her and reached for her hand, giving it a quick kiss before pulling her down towards him. He was wearing a nice white dress shirt and gold tie underneath a black velvet vest- it was embroidered with a neat golden pattern that stopped at his belt, black dress pants cuffed at the bottom. He wore sleek black dress shoes, and his pocket watch was pinned across the vest. Nisha rarely got to see Jack dressed up, but he knew how to clean up extremely well. 

“You sound surprised. Was the invitation not for me?” She shifted his tie, and he wiped some Pandoran dust from her dress before he held her still in front of him with both hands. 

“Yeah, ‘course it was...” he answered distractedly, as he looked her up and down a few times. “God, I knew you’d look perfect in this. You like it?” 

“Gotta say, I do- the fringe was a nice touch.” She could see a quick glimmer of pride in his eyes as she said that. He turned, putting a hand on her lower back and leading the both of them down towards the table. “This all seems a little small for your standards though, doesn’t it?”

He let out a small _tsch_ . “Well I know you don’t like the big stuff… plus I only had a _week_.” He glanced towards her. “Apparently that’s ‘not enough time for a giant portrait-’ who knew? Artist got all booked.” 

“What a shame,” she teased. 

“It _is_!” he cried back defensively. “Bigger shame when I ‘cleared’ his schedule for him, though.” That earned a small laugh from Nisha. _Of course he did._ She was surprised there wasn’t a ring around Helios with the amount of bodies that got air-locked on a regular basis. 

Jack went to pull her chair out and she smacked his hand away. 

“I know how to pull out a chair, lover-boy.”

“Alright, alright..” He raised his hands in surrender and walked around to the other side of the table, sitting down. “Just trying to be nice, sue me.”

“Sue you? You’d cry if I tried to take away any of your money.” Nisha took her hat off and placed it on the table. Her boots followed, being kicked off to the side, and her right foot slid forward to hook casually around his right ankle.

She watched a brief stutter in his movements as he pretended not to notice, instead leaning back and letting out a sharp whistle. After a few passing moments, another Hyperion bot came whirring out of the door next to the bar, stopping at the table with a bottle of champagne. 

“We’re ready. Tell them to hurry it up back there.” Jack grabbed the bottle and waved the bot away- it went back through the door. His thumbs went towards the cork, but Nisha made a beckoning motion and he paused. He handed the bottle to her, slightly confused.

“Think I could hit that bot behind the bar?” she smirked, tucking the bottle firmly between her thighs and shifting her weight.

“Probably.” His eyebrows raised. “I’m more interested in watching you try.”

She smiled at him before popping the cork in one swift motion- it whizzed right past Jack’s right ear and straight into the head of the bar-bot with a loud thunk. The bot lost balance for a second before righting itself, causing Nisha to let out an amused hum. She brought the bottle to her mouth to catch the excess before passing it back to her boyfriend.

“So,” he mused as he began to pour the two glasses. “You kill them? Whoever the escorts were?” To anyone else it would’ve been an odd question, the kind that would make you stop in your tracks- or it would be one asked with trepidation; but Jack asked it nonchalantly, without eye contact, as if it was just normal table-talk between them. Which it was.

“Nah,” she shrugged. “They were boring. I had some fun with the other guy you sent this mornin’, though.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded. “Got to spook him a little… bandits finished him off. You shoulda seen the look on his face.”

Jack tipped off his glass and put the bottle down. “Plenty more where that came from, babe- I inherited a company full of morons.” Inherited was the word he often used, because ‘strangled the previous CEO at his own desk for being a useless asshole’ was a mouthful. 

The bar-bot eventually brought over a full bottle of whiskey for Nisha instead of champagne, and she drank straight from the bottle while she let her boyfriend ramble on for several minutes. It was hard to tell if the warmness in her chest was from the alcohol or from the way Jack would occasionally tap his knuckles on the back of her hand for emphasis as he ranted about his day; either way, it was nice. 

Their dinner came- expensive steak, of course, served rare for Nisha and well-done for Jack (she told him she liked her meat wild, he said that paid for the whole thing so it might as well be cooked properly). They ate in between mild conversation, mostly violent inside jokes that amused only the two of them. 

“Got some birthday calls today,” the lawbringer chimed in after a moment of silence. “Wilhelm, Timothy.” She thought about mentioning Aurelia, but decided not to spoil the mood. 

“Did you now?” There were some moments when Jack could be extremely hard to read, even for Nisha- and that was one of them; he sipped from his glass but the look on his face gave no hint to whether he had forced them to call her, or if they did it on their own. “Nice to see I’m paying those jackasses to actually be sort of useful.”

“Pfft, I thought Robot Boy was your most loyal bodyguard, handsome.” 

“Not _bodyguard_ ,” he scoffed. “Security Enforcer. I can handle myself, thank you very much.” 

She saved a joke about the dad bod he was developing for a time when she could actually hit him there. Maybe later. 

“Well you know who else called? My fuckin’ old man.” Jack’s brow furrowed slightly as she brought it up, but her demeanor remained dismissively casual. “Didn’t listen to the message or anything. But I’ll need a new echo.” She took another drink.

“Yeah, I’ll put in a request for a new one,” he answered in between bites. “Gonna make sure that asshole can’t get on your line again- otherwise I’ll show you what I actually use my Security Enforcer for.”

“Bodyguard.”  
  
“ _Security Enforcer_.” 

“Dunno, you sure got a _lot_ of body to guard...”

“I will come over there if you don’t shut it.” He glared at her, but she could recognize the hint of playfulness behind it. They knew each other well enough to know what topics were to be avoided when teasing- that line was only crossed a few times by accident. 

They finished up dinner and sat for a while drinking, laughing between crass jokes and catching up on their week apart. If there was one well-known fact about Nisha Kadam other than her love for violence, it was that not a single soul could keep pace with her in terms of alcohol. Jack was always convinced he could, but it was very obvious he couldn’t even come close; so after the last round of drinks, she took it out of his hands as he grumbled at her. She was slightly buzzed, and he was approaching comfortably drunk. 

“No more,” she said, wagging her finger. “I want you sober enough for the rest of the night.” 

“Fine,” he whined, putting his chin in his palm and looking at her. A few moments passed. 

“What?” She perked an eyebrow up.

“Nothin’. You’re just really pretty.” 

“Ugh, gross,” she groaned, turning her head to hide a bit of blush that crept up her face. That earned a real, genuine laugh from Jack- it was a rare kind of laugh, usually only coming out when he was drunk, but it was light and full-bodied. It seemed to momentarily take off some of the weight that naturally rested on his shoulders. 

“Alright,” he put both his hands on the table and got up. “C’mere.”

“What’s this?” She asked, confused.  
“I wanna dance with you. Birthday dance.” 

She gave him a look and crossed her arms. “Oh no. I don’t dance.” Jack came over to her side of the table and reached out his hand. 

“Sure you do, jus’ this once. I’m not giving you your present ‘til you do.” He stood unmoving while she stared at him. 

After several seconds, she sighed loudly and uncrossed her arms. “Not putting on shoes though.” 

“Good,” he smiled and hoisted her up- he was stronger than anyone would guess just from looking at him. He turned his head to whistle sharply once more, and after a second music began to fill the room. 

Nisha looked over her shoulder to the room she saw when she first entered, closed off by a curtain. That’s where it seemed to be coming from. 

“Got some live music,” he answered, reading the look on her face. “But I wanted us to be alone.” He waved the room away as he led her towards the open floor. “Always liked this song, one of the best in my collection.” 

“Why not just bring it then?” 

“Psshh, I don’t trust anyone with my damn records,” he mumbled out, turning her to face him and wrapping a hand around her waist. He picked up her other hand in his and pulled her close as the song began. It was a softer song, warmly acoustic with a sort of twang that reminded Nisha of something Pandoran. It was the kind of song she didn’t hate, and was surprised to hear Jack say it was one of his favorites. 

_In your own time, you’ll drink something evil_

_Sing like an old crow, and worship the land_

_Don’t be scared if I walk with the devil,_

_Run down the mountain, and ask for your hand_

He began to sway her back and forth, almost in an exaggerated way. It was like two young, drunk teenagers figuring out how to slow dance- but it caused a smile to creep onto her face ever the same. 

_‘Cause we only want a life that’s well worth living-_

_And sleeping ain’t no kind of life at all_

_Come meet the family, and sit by the fire_

_Someone will catch you_

_If you want to fall_

As the musical interlude picked up, Jack grabbed her hand and spun her around slowly, never losing the movement in their bodies. Even drunk, he seemed to know the rhythm to the song by heart. It was clumsy and loose, but something about the way he was fully vulnerable in that moment, the light glowing warm and low, felt right. 

At that moment, Nisha finally decided to let herself have a nice birthday. She let her guard fall ever so slightly, and the smile on her face widened. She watched him dance in front of her, eyes closing occasionally only to half-open and meet hers once more. 

_In your own time, you’ll dance in the moonlight_

_Smoke like a freight train, and fuck like a dog_

Nisha laughed at the lyric, pushing her hands into Jack’s chest, and he responded only by grabbing them and twisting her around, so he was holding her waist and hands from behind, then dipped his head down against her shoulder to bring his lips to her ear. He began to softly sing along as he kept swaying.

_“Don’t be scared, if I tell you I love you_

_I’ll be good to you-”_

He let her go and spun back around, catching her hand from an arm’s length away. 

_And then I’ll be gone_

_‘Cause we only want a life that’s well worth living-_

_And sleeping ain’t no kind of life at all_

Nisha never liked that word. Love. She pushed it away as a symptom of his drunkenness- Jack said a lot of dumb things when he was drunk- but for once, she didn’t stop. She just continued to dance wildly with him; there was no need to call it love- whatever it was, it felt good in the moment, and that was enough for her. 

_Come meet the family, and get warm by the fire_

_Someone will catch you if you want to fall_

_Someone will catch you_

The music slowed as it began to end, and Jack pulled her back to him before slowly dipping her down as far as they could go without falling over drunkenly. He opened his eyes fully to see her, and she looked right back up at him. 

_If you want to fall_

The song faded away slowly- the two of them stayed that way for a second longer, though. The blood rushed slowly to Nisha’s head before she was pulled back up to his chest. Instead of waiting for him to say something, she pulled his tie closer and kissed him for the first time that night. Their usual kisses were rougher, more passionate, but in that moment, it was her own way of saying ‘thank you.’ He eagerly accepted, hand snaking further around her waist. 

“See, I knew you could dance,” he purred softly. 

“Don’t push it, handsome.” 

He let her go after a quick smirk, and walked back towards the bar. She followed. He reached over the bar and pulled another neat black box out, this time smaller. 

“Alright, here we are- for you. Happy birthday Nish.” He presented it to her, and she turned it over in her hands before opening. 

Nisha drew in a breath as she opened it- inside, in a purple velvet lining, was a sleek new pistol. It had a polished wood grip, and the barrel was beautifully gold-plated. The little details were intricate but not too overdetailed- she was a fan of simpler things. She picked it up, and it felt natural in her hand as she turned it a few times. If there was one quick way to her heart, it was through a good gun. 

“You like? Designed it myself.” She was already undoing the current pistol strapped to her thigh and replacing it with the new gold one. As she finished she stood back up and grabbed Jack by the back of his hair, bringing him into another kiss that felt more like their usual style. 

“I love it, cowboy.” Both of them could sense the change in energy through the room, and he seemed to sober up a little instantly to place kisses down her neck. 

“You wearing that other gift I got you?” 

“Why don’t you come find out?” Nisha always knew the right words to get Jack right where she wanted him, and this time was no different- in one quick motion he picked her up with one hand underneath, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, laughing. Not breaking eye contact, he waved his other hand in the air as he began to walk up the stairs. 

“I want this cleaned up by the morning, or I’m airlocking every son of a bitch on this station!” he called over his shoulder, but his attention was clearly elsewhere. 

He didn’t stop to see if anyone was listening, as he carried his cowgirl back upstairs to finish out the remaining hours of the best, only birthday party she ever had. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
